Reagent for treating materials containing hydrocarbons and process of making the same



Patented Dec. 27, 1927.

- UNITEDI'STATES v 1, 54; PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT H. ACKERMAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO CATALYTIC CHEMICAL COMEPA NY, OF DENVER, COLORADO, A CORPORATION OF COLORADO.

REAGENT son. TREATING mATnnIALs'gonTAmme nxnnocmons AND MAKING THE sum.

Ho Drawing.

My invention relates to a chemical reagent for use in treating various hydrocarbon materials to improve and clar1fy them or to'facilitate or improve the processing of 5 the same or improve the quality thereof. The product herein described has been em ployed and found partlcularly satisfactory in the treatment of petroleum products either crude or refined. While I have particularly mentioned petroleum products, my invention may be employed wherever found applicable. My invention has among its objects the production of a rea ent for the urposes set forth which is particularly efiicient,

inexpensive and satisfactoryand conslsts 1n the materials and methods of manufactuntiig the same as are more particularly poin out in' the appended claims.

. My im roved product or rea ent consists of napht alene, anthracene, a aline substances, phosphate rock, sugar and arsenic and antimony compounds as will be fully set forth below. There may be some variation in the ingredients used in making up 95 the reagent, as well as'their relative proportions, depending upon the particular material to be treated, its source orthe state that it is in at theltime of treatment. 7

I prefer to make up the composition sub- 80 stantially in the manner now to be set forth by first treating naphthalene with caustic soda, sodium phosphate and ammonium carbonate, thoroughly grinding and co-mixing the same. .For this purpose I have used 133 85 lbs. naphthalene, 56 lbs. caustic soda, 10 lbs. sodium phosphate, .and 10 lbs. ammonium carbonate. This mixture is then mixed with anthracene, which has been treated with sulphuric acid and sodium hydroxide. 'I have 40 also used in some instances a percenta e of phosphate rock and I refer genera y to use a natural rock. I ave secured satisfactory results with Florida phosphate rock. These materials are mixed in the proportions of substantially 21 lbs. anthracene, lb. sulphuric acid, 2 lbs. sodium hydroxide, 3

' lbs. of Florida phosphate. I also add other materials which are articularly designed to aflect' the color of t e petroleum product 60 undergoing treatment, particularly lubrieating oil stock. These materials comprise 1 lb. arsenious acid,"1 lb. arsenic sulfide and 1 lb. golden antimony sulfide (antimonic). In making up this composition, I have t The tionsfor compounding the second PROCESS 0] Application filed February 16, 1927. Serial no. loans.

secured satisfactory results by taking the naphthalene after treating it as above described, and after grinding the same for an interval, for example, 30 minutes or so, I add the latter or anthracene mixture also set forth above. I then further grindand comix the materials to get athorough mixing and comminuting and reaction in the com-.

I then prefer, after this shortthe various component parts of the petroleum product, especially in the waxes, and breaks 'down the binders and emulsions so that there is a very thorough breaking up of the carbon clusters as constituted at the beginning of the treatment.

- As will be noticed in the above description of the method of compounding the composi- -tion, the naphthalene is treated with a mixture of alkalies, namely sodium hydroxide, sodium phosphate and ammonium carbonate. urpose of so doing is to make the napht ialene more easily dispersible in the other ingredients. The sodium phosphate and the ammonium carbonate, together with i the sodium, hydroxidefurnish free alkali to the mixture. When used with mineral oils which contai'nappreciableamounts of suspended vvater, the alkali will cause a. breaking of the emulsion. The resence-of the ammonium carbonate furmshes a volatile alkali which ismore penetrant to the oil portion of the emulsion, and hence attacks the water globules, ca them to coalesce, and thus serves to break t e emulsion. The

sodium phosphate, which on combining with the excess of sodium hydroxide used, serves to form trisodium phosphate, which is also .an excellent water-in+oiltype of emulsion breaker. By first grinding the naphthalene with the alkalies, a finer subdivision of all the ingredients is possible.

The apparent contradiction in the'direc, ortion of the composition is readil explaine The 21" parts of anthraeene w an treated'with the part of sulfuric acid, become darker in color, as the sulfuric acid appears to carbonize and destroy certain impurities in the anthracene. If pure 85% anthracene is used, 6 this treatment will be unnecessary. The 2 lbs. of sodium hydroxide next added are for the purpose of completely neutralizing the sulfuric acid remaining after its action on the anthracene, as the finished composition 10 is desired to have an alkaline reaction.

The Florida phosphate acts as a clarifying agent, as it has an adsorbent action, and will cause any dirt particles to adhere to the same and carry them to the bottom, into the water which separates from the emulsion of oil and water. The sugar finally added is a hydrophile colloidal material. Its function in the mixture is to overcome the hydrophobe e0lloids in the crude oil which stabilize the water-in-oil-tyPe of emulsion, which usually accompanies such crude oil, or forms when still-residues are stored in open storage-reservoirs.

' The addition of the arsenious acid, arsenic sulfide and golden antimony sulfide is to furnish a reagent which, as far as our present knowledge of the matter goes, appears to precipitate or at least to render innocuous any sulfur compounds which might be pres-- ent. This assumption may be open to question, but the facts are that the'oils whenv treated with a composition containing these arsenic and antimony compoundsare brighter in color and clearer.

I have given the materials and proportions substantially as I have used the products, but these materlals and proportions may be more or less varied, depending upon the material that is to be treated by my reagent, that is,

40 whether it is crude petroleum, petroleum that has been otherwise treated or refined,

whether it-is residuum and whether there are to be any further refinery steps succeeding the treatment with my reagent. 4:; I .have found that my reagent is particularly desirable in treating lubricating stock and residuums, as moreparticularly pointed out in my co-pendin application, Serial No.

7 5,472 I have particularly referred to the I use of my reagent in the treating of petro-' leum products. It maybe mentioned that the same may be employed for treating vari- F ous materials containing carbon where it is desired to cause a breaking down of carbon clusters and a breaking up of the binders.

aving thus described my invention, it is obvious that various modifications may be made in the same wlthout departing from the .spirit of my invention, hence I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the specific combinations, proportions, processes or uses herein described.

I claim:

1. A composition of material comprising anthracene which has been treated with sulfuric acid, calcium phosphate as phosphate rock, naphthalene, sodium hydroxide, sodium phosphate, ammonium carbonate, sugar, arsenious acid, arsenic sulfide, and golden antimony sulfide.

2. A composition of material comprising the reaction products resulting from the admixture of anthracene, sulfuric acid, calcium phosphate as phosphate rock, na hthalene, sodium hydroxide, sodium phosp ate, ammonium carbonate, sugar, arsenious acid, arsenic sulfide, and golden antimony sulfide.

3. A composition of material comprising substantially 21 parts of anthracene which has been treated with part sulfuric acid, 3 parts calcium phosphate as phosphate rock 133 parts naphthalene, 58 parts sodium hy-. droxide, 10 parts sodium phosphate, 10 parts ammonium carbonate, 20 parts su ar, 1 part arsenious acid, part arsenic sulfide, and 1 part golden antlmony sulfide. 1

4:. A composition of material comprising the reaction products resulting from the admixture of substantially 21 parts of anthracene, part sulfuric acid, 3 parts calcium phosphate as phosphate rock, 133 parts naphthalene, 58 parts sodium hydroxide, 10 parts sodium phosphate, 10 parts ammonium'carf bonate, 20 parts sugar, 1 part arsenious acid, 1 part arsenic sulfide, and 1 part golden antlmony sulfide.

5. A composition of material comprising I the reaction products resulting from the admixture of anthracene, calcium phosphate as phosphate rock, naphthalene, sodium hydroxide, sodium phosphate, ammonium carbon-g;

ate, sugar, arsenious acid, arsenic and golden antimony sulfide.

6. A composition of-material comprising the reaction products-resulting from the ad mixture of substantially 21 parts "anthracene,

3 parts calcium hosphate as'phosphaterock,

133 parts napht alene, 58 parts sodium hy-.

droxide, 10 parts sodium phosphate, 10 parts ammonium carbonate, 20 parts sugar, 1 part arsenious acid, 1 part arsenic sul de, and 1 part golden-antimony sulfide. I I In witness whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name.

ALBERT H. ACKERMAN. 

